Children's Home run by Hull City Council in Kingston upon Hull

Inspection report for children's home: 2665502 1 Registered provider: Hull City Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This home is run by the local authority. It provides care for up to 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2022.

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Information about this children's home

There were 4 children living in the home at the time of this inspection, and 3 children were spoken with.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and/or the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2665502 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/08/2025 Full Good 20/08/2024 Full Good 01/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2665502 3

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that children live in a safe and nurturing environment. Serious safeguarding concerns have not been effectively managed, including children harming each other, online risks and disclosures of harm. As a result, some children feel unsafe in the home, experience ongoing harm and have reduced opportunities to engage positively in daily life. While staff provide emotional support, promote education and help children to maintain family relationships, the shortfalls undermine children's wellbeing, stability and overall progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not always prevent children from harming each other. Leaders and managers have not looked at the group dynamics to see whether children can safely live together. This lack of management oversight has led to children having poor experiences and their wellbeing has been negatively affected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Some children have not felt safe in the home due to the dynamics between children and the level of damage that has occurred to the home. A child remained in their bedroom for a significant period, through fear of violence from another child in the home. The child ate meals in their bedroom and stopped engaging in activities and going to school. Another child spoke about the damage in the home and how staff are unable to prevent it from happening.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children do not live in a safe, homely environment. The home is in a state of disrepair, where damage goes unattended and repairs are not completed in a timely way. Children's bedrooms are unkempt and unsafe. There was a broken toilet cistern, a radiator hanging from a bedroom wall, stained carpets and inappropriate and offensive graffiti on bedroom walls. Locks fitted to kitchen cupboards restrict children's access and give an institutional feel. This does not create a home that supports a positive environment where children can live comfortably.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are supported to understand their emotions. Children are given time to reflect on incidents, discuss how they feel and explore how they could manage things differently. Children are provided with information from staff about the wider impact of their behaviour and how this could affect their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are supported to share their views. Children attend regular residents' meetings, which address common themes about the expectations and plans for the children. These meetings are attended regularly by children, who engage well and put forward their views. Staff respond appropriately, giving rationale for staff expectations and why change is needed. Inspection report for children's home: 2665502 4 Staff work closely with education professionals to arrange education provision to meet children's needs. When this is not possible, tutors visit children at home or take them out into the community to help engage them in learning. Educational work is also provided for children to complete at home. Staff demonstrate persistence and commitment in encouraging children to explore different educational placements and work towards returning to full-time education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

One child is making progress in their studies. They have achieved the required examination results so far, and they are awaiting confirmation to secure a college placement to pursue their chosen career. The child attends learning regularly, remains fully engaged in their learning and is highly motivated to succeed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are supported to see their family and those people who are important to them. Staff support travel for those children who have family living a long distance from their home. They are supported to attend family functions, such as wedding events and family holidays. Staff work with families to manage difficult situations. They help children to understand their feelings and support visits when relationships are strained.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Managers and staff do not effectively manage relationships between children to protect them from harm. Some children are involved in harmful relationships with each other, and staff have not taken appropriate action to safeguard children against associated and escalating risks. One child has severe bruises across their arms and shoulders, and they have been threatened and coerced by another child. This has had a negative effect on the child's family time, attendance at school and sleep routines.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Staff do not recognise when children make disclosures of abuse. A child disclosed that they were sent indecent images of another child, but this was not explored further to understand the seriousness of the allegation. It is not clear if, and how, managers and staff have responded to this disclosure.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Staff do not have any meaningful measures in place to support children's safe use of the internet. There is a lack of effective support to children to help them understand more about how to keep safe online. Furthermore, appropriate measures are not in place to monitor and understand children's internet use. This limits staff's ability to identify emerging risks and take timely action to safeguard children. For example, one child has a substantial following on a social media platform, but little is known about who these followers are or what communication takes place with these followers.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

When children commit offending behaviours, staff work with professionals to address the activity without the need for police intervention. When there are risks around fire setting, fire safety officers visit to discuss the dangers of those behaviours. External measures to search the children's bedrooms for dangerous items are conducted and children are spoken with regarding their actions. This allows children to discuss incidents, reflect on their behaviour and learn about the serious dangers of criminal behaviours. Inspection report for children's home: 2665502 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has been in post for almost 5 years. The manager is yet to achieve the required leadership and management qualification within the regulatory timescales. Therefore, the manager does not hold the necessary qualification, which is a requirement of her position to demonstrate her ability to lead and manage a children's home safely and effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not sufficiently escalated her concerns to senior leaders about the group dynamics in the home and the impact that this is having on all the children living there. The home's condition has also been allowed to deteriorate without action being taken. Children are therefore having poor experiences of living at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not fully understand the impact of children's experiences in the home. While staff are aware that some children are having poor experiences of living in the home, these concerns are not consistently communicated to leaders and managers so that appropriate action can be taken. As a result, some children's physical and emotional wellbeing have been adversely affected for a significant period without a timely or appropriate intervention.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff know the children well and understand how the children's past traumas have impacted their current experiences living at the home. The staff work with mental health services, who provide a linked worker to visit the home. This professional works with the children and influences children's plans and how they are cared for. As a result, staff have empathy and understanding of children's histories and can see beyond children's behavioural incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager navigates complex situations well to support and protect children during difficult times. When children disclose historic harm, the manager informs the appropriate agencies and escalates her concerns appropriately. Children's wishes are considered when making those referrals, to ensure that the police and children's services are aware and appropriate safeguarding procedures are followed. This ensures that the child's voice is heard and the child receives a response that is appropriate and considerate of the child's wishes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager works effectively with partner agencies to advocate for children and ensure that their needs are met. She is proactive in challenging services when standards fall short and she keeps professionals informed of any concerns as they arise. When issues present, the manager escalates them promptly, ensuring that relevant professionals come together to address and resolve them in a timely manner. Inspection report for children's home: 2665502 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the 'Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards'. The registered person must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

* The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home's day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b)(e)) 26 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; 26 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2665502 7 use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home's statement of purpose; and

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children's home if—

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Requirement Due date

having regard to the size of the home, its statement of purpose, and the number and needs (including any needs arising from any disability) of the children—

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Requirement Due date

the person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (1)(b)(i), a person has the appropriate experience and qualification if the person has—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 5 Diploma").

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Requirement Due date

in the case of a person who starts managing a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 3 years after the date on which that person started managing a home. (Regulation 28 (1)(b)(i) (2)(c)(i) (3)(a)) 31 December 2026

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Requirement Due date

* This requirement is subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children's home: 2665502 8

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the 'Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards'. Inspection report for children's home: 2665502 9

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Kingston upon Hull City Council, The Guildhall, Alfred Gelder Street, Hull HU1 2AA

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Inspector

Lee Riley, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children's home: 2665502 10 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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